The Most Dangerous Game
by The First Architect
Summary: They've been trained to be the hunters. But never the hunted.
1. Prologue

_The Most Dangerous Game_

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><p>Prologue<p>

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><p><strong>Yosemite National Park<strong>

**California**

_Today is the start of the hunt._

_I know how it will go. I can picture it quite vividly in my head, the sequence of events that will lead to the first of many kills._

_By nine o'clock, my partner and I will be at our posts, narrowing down the closest targets to the most populated camping areas. We will get our gear ready, go over our plan, and finally chose our targets._

_The target will be a couple. Young, preferably. John and Jane will possibly be experienced hikers or someone just looking for a little adventure. They will be energetic, excited, athletic. A little reckless._

_With a few tossed stones and distracting rustles of foliage we will separate the tough male from the weaker female. He will go check what the noise was and she will maintain the campground._

_It will not take long for Jane to notice that her hubby John has been gone for a while._

_She will call out his name, but her voice will echo, unanswered. Maybe he stopped to take a leak? Maybe he found some wild strawberries to surprise her with? A dozen perfectly ordinary possibilities will run through Jane's mind. But as the minutes tick away and her repeated calls go unanswered, other, more unwanted possibilities will surface. _

_But she will not go looking for him. No. She will stay where she is comfortable; even though she has sworn loyalty to the man she loves. She is a pathetic creature, only focused on self preservation._

_John will stumble back to camp with an arrow through his chest. He will collapse at the feet of his girlfriend/fiancé/wife who is to shocked to understand (comprehend?) what is going on. _

_She will be unable to do anything. _

_My partner has done half of the job, now I will finish it. With a knocked arrow I take aim at Jane's back, right between the shoulder blades. With a quick release my arrow flies true and ends Jane's._

_I expect it's the yappy camper to the left that will find them. I see her chatting away with some unimportant story about times long past to the poor soul who was stupid enough to get water at the same time she did. They walk into the abandoned campsite and Mrs. Yappy calls out, "John? Jane? Are you here? I just wanted to tell you that the cold water is out again." The two walk past the couples tent, past the parked Tacoma truck, all the while the old bat is rattling on about another one of her husbands who preferred open casket funerals to closed ones._

_Then Yappy looks to the smoldering fire pit. She sees the couple, Jane and John, and she is now not only talking about casket funerals, but thinking of them. She wants to get out of that campground before she throws up and cries. And the young man beside Mrs. Yappy rushes forward and yells at the old woman to call 911._

_We would like to be there when the police arrive, but we are not idiots. We know they will study every person that gathers, every face that twitches towards the two white sheets that have been placed over the deceased couple. They know our urge to return to the scene is great, but we can control it. Even now, as we trek through the dense forest, we are thinking about our next hunt, Jane and John now only pictures on the wall of our memories. _

_Today they will find their bodies._

_Today they will know the hunt has begun._

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><p><strong>AN:** This is only the beginning :)_  
><em>


	2. Chapter One

_The Most Dangerous Game_

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

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><p>Hemingway said:<em> "There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter."<em>

* * *

><p>It starts as a regular day at the office.<p>

She arrives at 9 and finds that like always, Cooper and Beth are there before anyone else.

After setting her bag down, she goes straight for the coffee maker, aware that the others are trickling in with each passing moment and the hot liquid will soon become a commodity.

Except today, Mick Rawson ambushes her before she gets the chance to drink more than half a cup of it. He tosses her a wooden stick with a smile and motions for her to join him on the blue mat in the lower half of the gym.

"You know," Gina LaSalle handles the weapon. "I never understood what you and Coop found in this stick fighting. I mean, I can see it teaching control over mind, body and spirit." She shrugs, "But it doesn't seem very conventional."

She eyes the man that is circling her with a bit of curiosity.

Mick is an extremely interesting human being. She'd figured him for a solitary, arrogant man that depended little on anyone else. His background as an ex-British Special Forces sniper should have proved as much.

But her actual findings have been quite different.

Well, except for the arrogant part.

Mick Rawson lets out a laugh. "That's what Coop preaches. Doesn't mean that's why I do it."

A smile curves across Gina's face. "No?"

He grins at her, says "No," and then sends out a lazy strike towards her.

She deflects it with ease.

He cocks his head at her in curiosity.

She offers him a nonchalant shrug with an innocent smile.

She thinks back to the first couple of days after the creation of the Red Cell Team. She thinks about how he seemed to have gravitated towards her. How he'd always partner with her. Follow her. Watch her back.

It is an odd feeling she gets around him, through all of the chaos and misery that makes up their job, she actually feels _safe _around him.

And she figures that in her line of work, that's saying something.

John "Prophet" Simms sits down on one of the benches that boarders the blue gym mat that Gina and Mick are occupying. "20 bucks on Mick," he says to the woman standing next to him with a smile.

Beth Griffith regards him and then glances back to her two partners locked in combat. She cracks a smile of her own, "Now you know I'm gonna put money on my girl, right?"

Prophet smiles. "Sticking together are we?"

She nods her head. "You know it."

Sam Cooper materializes behind them and pats Prophet on the back. "Don't be so quick to judge based on gender, Prophet. I put her on this team for a reason."

"So you're leaving me and Mick out to dry, Coop?" he sounds scandalized.

Cooper smiles. "No. I'm just gonna step back and let fate decide the winner."

Beth lets out a small laugh. "Typical."

Mick feigns a thrust to Gina's right, but withdraws and quickly snaps towards her stomach. He plans on pulling out at the last moment, neither one of them have on safety vests, and this is really just to test her strength. Her knowledge.

He figures she knows what he's doing.

Gina simply step backs with her left foot to avoid the right stick and then steps back with her right foot to avoid the left. She retaliates with a blow aimed towards Mick's head, but he slaps her stick away and steps sideways.

Mick grins and points his stick at her. "You are very interesting."

She cocks her head at him. "Why would you say that?" She gives him an innocent smile, except for the tiny sparkle in the corner of her eye that seems to laugh at him.

"You've trained in Eskrima," He explains.

Gina does not deny it, only twirls the stick in her right hand with a flick of her wrist and continues to circle him.

"Your footwork's what gave you away. You move and dodge in small triangular patterns. Though I feel you'd be more comfortable with two sticks instead of just one. Am I not right, darling?"

Gina inclines her head with a smile.

It's about time he's figured it out.

"And you've studied in Singlestick, the common English form of generic stick fighting," she returns.

Beth takes a seat next to Prophet. "Oh man, this is gonna be good."

"I didn't realize she'd been trained." Prophet admits.

Beth leans in and hits her shoulder to his in a friendly punch. "You sound like you're losing confidence, Prophet."

"No." he turns to her. "It just makes me think about how little we know of each other." He shrugs. "That's all."

The snapping of Gina and Mick's sticks are drowned out by Cooper's cell phone. The four members of the Red Cell freeze, Mick mid strike, Gina mid block. Prophet and Beth have gotten to their feet, studying their Unit chief with anticipation.

"Yeah," Cooper says into the phone. After a short moment of listening to the voice he nods. "I understand. Thanks."

After he's hung up the phone, he turns to his team with a sigh.

"Good news?" Mick asks.

Gina hits him lightly on the arm. "Is it ever?"

**-CMSB-**

"Colin O'Shea and Jennifer Williams." Cooper clicks his remote and two pictures materialize on the screen. "23 and 24. They were found in their campsite at Yosemite National Park in California yesterday morning."

He throws each one of his team members a folder.

Mick opens his but doesn't bother to read any of the information.

He sits forward in his seat a little.

The woman on the screen, a petite blond with striking blues eyes, is beautiful.

"Now don't go start thinking you can cheat on Lisa," Gina says to him from across the table, smiling.

"It was Elise," he corrects. "And I don't cheat."

"Don't start you two." Beth interjects with a stern look directed at both of them. "You can battle it out on the playground later."

Mick and Gina let out simultaneous grins.

It's always to the job with Beth Griffith.

They'd have to work on getting her to have a little more fun later. After all this is over and done with.

"How many other victims are there," Gina asks, glancing to her information.

"Just these two," Cooper answers.

Prophet lets out a breath. "They better still have their eyes, Cooper. I don't want to get invited to _that_ party again."

Cooper lets out a small laugh. "They still have their eyes." He clicks his remote again and a picture of the crime scene pops up.

"Yeah," Mick says, sitting forward in his chair. "They also have arrows through their chests."

The picture in front of them shows Jennifer Williams collapsed over her boyfriend, each one with a single arrow through their back.

"Are there more photos of the campsite?" he asks.

Cooper clicks his remote again and a wider shot pops up.

Mick rests his elbow on the table and rubs at his chin in thought. "Very secluded. This is an unsub that had all the time in the world. He could have watched them for days without them realizing it."

"Could we be looking at a live scenario of 'The Most Dangerous Game'?" Gina asks, looking to Cooper.

The Unit Chief seems to weigh her question. "That's not a bad start."

Mick raises his hand slightly and sits back in his chair. "Care to fill in the Welshman who might have spent most of his time in a sniper perch?"

"It's a book written by Richard Connell," Gina places her hands over the open folder in front of her. "The story is about this shipwrecked trio that find themselves stranded on an uncharted island where they meet a Russian Count. The three crew members are delighted to find someone else on the island." She pauses for dramatic emphasis, "At first."

"Well that never ends well," Beth deadpans.

Gina shakes her head in agreement. "It doesn't. They soon realize that the shipwreck was not an accident and that the Russian Count had lured them there so he could hunt them down in the jungle."

"But they don't look like they've been hunted," Beth points out. "Look at the way she's just…fallen over him. They didn't see this coming."

"There are many different forms to hunting," Mick explains. "Our unsub didn't crave for their fear. He didn't do this for the chase. He did this for something else."

"Any witnesses?" Prophet asks.

Cooper shakes his head. "The campgrounds in this area of the park are about a mile from each other."

"Who discovered the body?" Gina asks.

Mick glances to her briefly and sees that she's fiddling with her necklace.

It's a habit he's noticed she's developed.

There's something about this case that's bothering her.

He makes a mental note to ask her later and looks back to Cooper.

"A woman who was living in the campsite next to theirs. Said they didn't show up for a hiking trip she had planned with the surrounding campsites so she went looking for them."

"Well she found them," Beth says sadly.

"Local PD doesn't know what to call this." He points to the screen. "But we know behavior this violent doesn't just happen for one person."

"You're right," Prophet says. "He's definitely trying to make a statement."

"Yeah, but for who?" Gina asks.

Mick looks to her and locks with her eyes.

He thinks that's a damn good question.


	3. Chapter Two

_The Most Dangerous Game_

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

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><p><strong>Yosemite National Park<strong>

**California**

Gina pulls in behind Sam's black Expedition at the National Park Services' Main headquarters within Yosemite National Park seven hours after they've left D.C.

She takes a quick glance sideways to Mick in the passenger seat. He's donned one of his popular long sleeve hooded shirts and jeans. It's strange, looking down at her own hooded thermal. She wonders if her choice in clothing has been, in any way, influenced by him.

With a sigh she slips out of the driver's seat and shoulders her bag. The California sun streams through the tree branches and a light breeze blows wisps of hair into her face. She tucks them behind her ear and remembers that when she was last in California, at this park, it had been a humid day of 95.

But that was a long time ago.

She takes stride behind Sam as the Unit Chief takes the steps of the wooden lodge. Pushing open the glass doors they are greeted with a busy bullpen of police detectives and park rangers alike.

"Hi," a man in a black suite walks towards Sam. "Adam Murdock, Tuolumne Homicide."

"Sam Cooper, BAU," he shakes the Detectives hand and then turns back to his team. "This is my team. Agents Griffith. Simms. LaSalle and Rawson."

Each one of them nods when their name is called. The same routine every time.

Except this time, Gina notices how utterly exhausted this Detective Adam Murdock looks. There is a little ping of sympathy for this man. Because he surely has no idea what he's dealing with.

"We really appreciate you guys flying out here." The detective says.

"We're here to help any way we can," Cooper replies.

The Detective nods and takes one quick glance around the group. "Well we've cleared out a room for you this way." He motions back over his shoulder and starts to walk.

They follow Cooper and start their questions.

"Where are you on the investigation so far?" Prophet asks first.

"They both graduated from James Madison University with majors in business. Worked for Apple as CS specialists. We've got in touch with friends and relatives. Apparently the trip was to celebrate their recent engagement."

There is a beat of silence as the five members of the Red Cell team pay their respects for the loss of life so young. Then Mick is speaking.

"So they were found by another hiker?"

Adam Murdock nods. "Yeah." He leads them to a glass walled conference room with a long table in the center. Gina wonders if people really do enjoy watching them work or if the only conference rooms around have full glass windows for walls.

She feels like the new toy.

"Leaving them out in the open suggests a lack of personal relationship." She sets down her bag and starts to unload her laptop. "Our unsub wanted them to be found. He's making a—"

A distressed looking park ranger bursts into the room, eyes wiled and frenzied. "I just got a call," he says to the room. "Another campsite's been hit. We have two more casualties."

Cooper jumps into action. "Mick, Gina, go to the most recent crime scene. See what you can find. Beth, Prophet and I will go to the campsite that was hit yesterday and we'll compare notes from there."

"CSI's already been over the campsite that was hit yesterday." Adam Murdock says, confused. "They didn't find anything that would further the investigation."

"I understand," Cooper says. "But we don't look for forensics. We look for what the unsub saw when he committed the crime. That sort of thing."

Detective Murdock nods his head even thought he doesn't look like he fully believes anything Coopers just said. "I'll lead you guys to your work, then."

Cooper nods. "Thanks."

Once the detective has left he turns back to his team. "Let's get to work."

**-CMSB-**

It is a warm day, full of sunlight and a cool breeze. In short, Mick is sorry he wore one of his signature sweatshirts. The Kevlar vest doesn't help matters, either. But he's grown accustomed to this kind-of sort-of paranoid family they've formed. After all, he'd rather be paranoid than sorry.

Gina takes stride next to him in a Kevlar vest of her own and they make their way towards the most recent crime scene campground in Yosemite Valley.

Mick has gotten used to the welcoming party that they generally get when they arrive at a crime scene. But with the seclusion the park provides, there are no news vans or gathered civilians. Only police officers and medical personnel. And few of those.

He approaches an officer with a clipboard and offers his hand. "Special Agent Mick Rawson, BAU." He nods to Gina. "This is Special Agent Gina LaSalle. We're here to look at the crime scene."

The cop, whose engraved nametag reads, _Jackson_, eyes them curiously. Mick can track the man's eyes down to the large FBI print scrawled across his bulletproof vest, then to Gina's slender body and soft features.

"You two look a little young to be FBI," he grunts.

Mick tries to keep from grinning and catches Gina smile beside him. She digs in her pocket for her bad and flips it for the cop to see.

"Thank you for the flattery," She pockets her bag and continues. "But we have to get to work."

The cop has straightened consciously after the badge-flip and nods his head. "Right this way," he motions for them to follow him and a few steps later they are in a campsite not to different from the first.

And there are two bodies. One male. One female.

"Who are they?" Gina asks the cop as she crouches down next to them, studying.

Officer Jackson glances to his clipboard. "Matt and Sarah O'Connell. Found 30 minutes ago."

"Witnesses?' Mick asks.

Officer Jackson shakes his head. "No."

Gina nods her head. "We're gonna want this area off limits to civilians."

The cop nods his head. "I've positioned my men on all the roads that lead here. No one's getting in." He pauses and looks down at the dead couple, sighs and shakes his head. "I'm going to go talk to the young woman who found them. She's just up the hill. Half a mile, maybe a little more, if you need anything."

"Have you thought about evacuating the campgrounds?" Gina asks.

The officer lets out a sad laugh. "Over three million people visit this park each year, ma'am. The best we've tried is to give warning to the campers around this area of Yosemite Valley." He shakes his head. "But it's hard to track down all of them. The other's that are more adventurous…" he gives a sad shrug, "Good luck finding them."

"Okay," Mick says. "Thanks man."

Once the cop has let he crouches next to Gina and flips open his phone. "We're here Coop." he speaks into the phone.

"_Okay, what do you see?"_

"Same thing as yesterday, Coop," Gina says. "It's the same guy."

"_Keep going."_

"The unsub knows his way around a bow." Mick answers from his position next to the two bodies. He's scanning, trying to find anything that might speak to him. After a moment he shakes his head. "But there's no field of the government that use bows as a major weapon. So the closest I can think of is he's an avid hunter."

"_Based on statistics I would say a male between the ages of 25 to 35."_ Prophet's voice filters through the connection.

"Long range killers choose to keep people at a safe emotional distance." Gina adds. "Our unsub doesn't see these hits as individuals but as trophies. Being a hunter could lead to isolation. He's probably introverted. Emotionally isolated and a recluse. But he's proficient in his killings, so I would say he's intelligent. He probably holds a steady job, but keeps to himself."

"_So he's patient. He's focused. He has all the time in the world because he doesn't have anyone." _Cooper says. _"But why them?"_

"_Wrong place wrong time?"_ Beth voices. _"Maybe our unsub is viewing these kills as a sort of big game? He finds his perch first, then whoever happens to wander in close enough get the shaft?"_

There is a short silence that passes over the line, only spoiled by the chirping of birds.

Mick imagines Beth holding her hands up in surrender. _"Sorry, bad joke."_ She says seconds later.

"Yeah. No pun intended, right?" he smiles. There is a beat of silence and Mick scratches his chin. "But I have to say that these kills took considerable care and deliberation. Our Unsub decided that he would kill couples well in advance. He also knew how he was going to kill them—in what area and with what weapon—and I have to say that he might have taken something as a trophy. Serial Killers are not that different from Trophy hunters."

"_Okay._ _Hold up_," Cooper says over the line. "_I'm going to conference in Penelope._"

Moments later Penelope Garcia's voice sounds from the small speaker on Mick's phone.

_"How's the California fun and sun my friends?"_

"_Penelope, thanks for joining us."_ Cooper says.

"_Certainly. Whatcha need?"_

"Let's start with the bow." Mick takes the initiative. "Probably a compound bow based on the arrows. So shops, outlets, any place that might sell them."

"_Uh, well. There are about 1,400 shops in California that sell bows. But when we look at compound bows instead of regular, old fashioned ones, those numbers drop to the low 500 hundreds. Tell you what, let me fly my magic keyboard and get back to you with something shiny and new, kay?"_

"_You're the best._" Cooper says, and then as soon as Garcia's hung up he's back to the problem at hand. "_Tell me about this bow, Mick_."

The sniper expert rubs the back of his head. "I'm not an expert on it, but I know a compound bow isn't affected by changes in temperature and humidity. It also gives superior accuracy and velocity."

"What about distance?" Gina asks.

Mick unconsciously rolls up the sleeves of his sweatshirt. "It depends on the draw weight of the bow. With 50lbs it would get you," he shrugs, squinting. "Maybe around 300-400 yards? Give or take."

Prophet lets out a low whistle through the phone line.

"_Wow_," Beth admits. "_That's quite the distance._"

Gina nods her head, eyes examining the bodies. She crouches in silence moments later, eyebrows furrowed.

Mick notices. "What is it, Gina?"

"The trajectory of the arrows is different. The one in Matt goes through the chest and out the back. But the one in Sarah enters from the back and comes out the chest." She looks back up to him. "Why?"

"Because they were shot at different times," He crouches next to her, analyzing as well. "The arrow our man Matt took didn't kill him instantly. You see, as snipers we are taught to avoid specific spots. Spots that would lead to a needed second shot. Our unsub has advanced knowledge of the human body and where to shoot in order to guarantee or not to guarantee an instant kill."

"_So he prolonged the man's death_," Beth voices. "_But why not the woman's?_"

"_That_," Cooper stresses, "_is the question we start with._"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Someone brought up an episode of Criminal Minds that is like this story in one of the reviews. I have not personally seen the episode (I think a few minutes here and there) but figured when I started writing this story, there was bound to be an episode that covered Trophy Hunting of some kind. Serial Killers and Trophy Hunters are scary alike (sorry if you're a hunter, it's just facts :P) So I will just stick to my storyline, and if they run together then I guess I'm writing this pretty well lol Anyways, read, review but always ENJOY!

(Considering fanfiction is all we have now. Damn you CBS for canceling this show! It was just finding its stride!)


	4. Chapter Three

_The Most Dangerous Game_

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

* * *

><p>There are some days when Gina LaSalle dislikes her job greatly. Especially when a place from her childhood is ruined by a madman. It is also days like these when Gina fully understands why she joined the FBI and subsequently the BAU.<p>

With arms crossed, she studies where the two bodies used to be. The coroner has come and gone, the crime scene completely empty except for herself and Mick.

It's the way they like to work.

No distractions. Just what the Unsub saw in his moment of violence.

She turns slightly as Mick slides down a small hill to her right, brushing off dirt from his jeans.

"Find anything?" She asks him.

He shakes his head with a grim face. "No." looking around, he sighs deeply. "There are so many possible perches in this place. He could have hit them from anywhere."

She nods and looks back down to the white outlines on the ground, fiddling with her necklace.

Mick studies her for a moment. He knows her well enough to know when something's bothering her.

"What's wrong?"

She glances to him, tries to offer a small smile.

He walks closer to her. "No. None of that. What's wrong?"

She lets out the heaviest sigh he's heard from her in a while. "It's this time frame. I can't stop thinking that our unsub might already have his next target. Hell," she shrugs. "They might already be dead for all we know. This place is _huge_."

"It is," he answers with a nod. "Over 700,000 acres to be exact. But our Unsub has a kill a day. So we just focus on this campsite. He's left something here, he's screwed up somewhere. And that's when we'll find him."

She lets out another sigh and finally nods.

"Good," he smiles. "So let's run through this again."

She nods her head and crosses her arms. "Okay. Say I'm the Unsub. I'm patient, confident. Maybe borderline arrogant. I can kill without a second thought. So I'm put together enough to appear normal."

"He's also calculating," Mick adds. "He takes Matt out first because he poses the greatest threat. Then he focuses on Sarah."

A moment passes in silence.

Then Gina slowly turns to him. "What did you just say?"

Mick looks confused. "Uh, that he took Matt out first? Then focused on Sarah?"

She's uncrossed her arms, a grin spreading across her face. "That's _exactly_ it, Mick."

"I'm not following you," he says slowly.

"What if this isn't about the couple at all? What if this is about the woman?" She motions to the white tape of the outlined bodies. "What if he hit Matt first to show Sarah that she could do nothing but watch her husband die? What if this is about making the women feel inferior?"

Mick contemplates the theory for a second. "So he finds women inferior?" When Gina nods he scratches the top of his head. "Clearly he's never met you. Or Beth. Or the entire female population."

She laughs at him and then grows silent. She studies the ground again and starts to walk.

Mick watches her pace for a moment before asking, "Why do you do that?"

She looks up, startled for a moment, like she's forgotten that he was there. "Sorry. Army brat." She offers him a smile. "In my house we marched."

He nods knowingly and steps into stride behind her. "Well then by all means, don't let me stop you. If it gets you thinking."

She turns and starts to walk again.

He follows her, all the while analyzing their surroundings.

Leaves and small sticks cover the ground, mixed with dirt and grass. The campsite isn't relatively large, but it is bordered by a steep drop off to the south which looks out over the rest of Yosemite Valley. There is a smaller hill to their right which slants off to an adventurous, if not a little dangerous, tumble. Tall tree trunks are scattered, but not to constricting.

There is space to hide someone amongst the trees and bushes.

And that makes Mick nervous.

Gina stops at the edge of the campsite and turns to him. "You know," she licks her lips and glances down to the ground before locking with his eyes. "I never really thanked you for watching my back during that sniper case in Chicago."

He's rendered speechless for a moment.

He's always read Gina as a composed person. He hardly ever sees her lose her cool. The only person she confides in is Cooper. She keeps her walls up to protect herself, and lets them down for just a fraction when she is around her team. When she is comfortable.

But right now, Gina LaSalle is dropping her walls completely.

For him.

He swallows quickly and shrugs, trying to slip back into his persona. "You're my partner," he says simply. "What did you expect me to do?"

"Coop's your partner," She counters. "So is Prophet. Beth. You didn't have to step out into the open to catch his attention. That's against everything you've been taught as a sniper."

He swallows again. "What's your point?"

She opens her mouth like she about to say something, but thinks better of it. Glancing away briefly, she looks to her hands, fidgeting. Finally, she looks up. "My point is" she says with a sigh. "Is why me?"

Like there's an easy answer.

But Mick will be damned because there's not an easy answer.

He's never questioned himself before.

He's never fully understood why he always followed her.

They are complicated emotions she's asking him to explain. Emotions that probably need to be analyzed by a professional, because he is far from an expert in these kinds of matters.

But he tries to explain it as simply as he can.

Taking a step forward, he places a delicate hand on her shoulder. "Because you're you." He shrugs. "And I'd be terribly lonely if you were gone."

She grins, rolls her eyes and laughs. "So modest."

He smiles. "I try." Shrugging, he tilts his head sideways. "What brought that on?" he shakes his head and turns back towards the bodies. "It can't be the case. You don't generally get emotionally affected by them that often."

"Are you trying to say that I'm not capable of emotion, Mick?" There is a serious tone to her voice, but she is grinning widely at him.

He holds his hands up. "Okay. Fair enough. That wasn't the best way to have put that."

She laughs, the edges of her smile reaching her eyes.

He grins, relaxing.

Later, he will curse the people who ruined this moment.

He feels his heartbeat thud once in his head and then Gina is suddenly yelling and pushing him sideways with surprising strength.

There is a split second of him questioning her motives.

Of a 'what-the-hell-is-going-on?' moment.

But being an ex-special forces sniper and part of the Red Cell team, he's grown accustom to trusting the little tingle of fear that crawls its way up his spine every once and a while.

And this current tingle is telling him that they are under attack.

If not to prove his theory, the fabric of his sweatshirt ripples as an arrow just barley misses him.

He takes his roll and withdraws his gun simultaneously, squeezing off a few rounds in the direction in which the arrow has come from. It's back towards the camp and he realizes that Gina has pulled her weapon and is firing as well.

There is a strong curse from the distance and this time Mick can actually _see_ the arrow coming at him. Maybe it's his adrenalin, or possibly just pure reflex, but he jerks his head backwards at the last moment. The arrow whizzes by, harmless.

When he feels his heartbeat in his head again (strange, that everything has truly happened in a split second) he realizes that they are both sitting ducks.

He gets his feet under him quickly and rushes to his partner's side.

As a sniper he'd never really had to deal with blood.

But right now, there's _a lot_ of it spilling through Gina's hands.

Then he sees the arrow that's gone completely through her right thigh.

And he suddenly cannot breath.

His mind switches to autopilot and he grabs one of her hands, throws it over his shoulder and drags her to her feet. She does not complain, only offers a slew of curse words that would make a sailor jealous and limps heavily with him.

Their attempt at an escape is more of a frantic scramble to get the hell out of there.

Because he knows compound bows. He knows an arrows reach can be far shorter than a bullets. If he can get them out of rang—

Gina's leg gives out on her and he is dragged sideways.

In a split second he realizes she's placed her foot on a slope, and with the arrow in her leg she doesn't have the strength to balance herself.

Before either one of them realizes it they are tumbling head-over-ass-over-legs like out-of-control rag dolls down a hill.

Mick seems to hit every half buried stone, every sharp stick. Then Gina's elbow slams into his face and he feels his leg smash into something solid. Maybe her back? Her stomach? He can't be sure.

All he knows is that he can't tell when he stops rolling because when he finally slides to a stop, amongst the sticks and leaves they've tracked in their wake, his head insists that he's still rolling.

Through the haziness of a possible concussion he tries to take into account all of his aches and pains. Tries to see if anything is broken or worse.

But _everything_ hurts.

So he goes to plan B.

With a groan he forces himself onto hands and knees. Looking around slowly, he finds Gina to his right. She's on her stomach, eyes closed and not moving.

The arrow in her thigh still unnerves him and with shaky hands he tries to crawl towards her.

It doesn't work.

His strength gives out on him and he collapses back to the leaf covered ground.

Slowly, he wonders why it's getting so dark at three o'clock in the afternoon.

**-CMSB-**

Sam Cooper is having one of those days.

One of those days where nothing seems to make sense.

Beth shakes her head. "Nothing's making sense."

Prophet nods his head is agreement. "I don't get it either. None of our victims are connected in any way except for the fact that they're here."

Apparently, his team is also having one of those days.

A map of Yosemite is spread out on a wooden picnic table, two areas circled with a red pen. They'd been crunching theories for over an hour and weren't getting anywhere fast.

Taking a deep breath and rubbing at his eyes, Sam Cooper tries to calm himself.

Beth and Prophet seem to notice his shift and step in behind him, listening.

"I come to Yosemite Park to hunt," he begins as he starts to pace. "But not for wild game. For humans. For young, heterosexual, couples."

"Perhaps these are hate crimes?" Beth prompts.

Prophet shakes his head. "No. The statistics say a white male."

Cooper shakes his head. "This isn't about race." He changes his course and walks towards the taped out lines of where the young couple's bodies used to be. He looks to his team, motioning towards the spot. "It's about them." He shakes his head. "But why come to the camp grounds? Why not just pick them off of the interstate. Or at their home? A parking lot even?"

"He can blend in here." Prophet inputs. "No one would question the appearance of his weapon. He feels comfortable here."

Cooper spins and points at Prophet. "Exactly! I am comfortable here because I've been here before. But not to hunt humans. No. Something's happened to me to make me target people. I haven't always had this deep," Cooper touches his chest, "Hatred."

"So there's a stresser somewhere," Prophet muses. He looks down to the white tape, furrowing his brow. "Why hit Colin first? Why not Jennifer?"

"Because I see Colin as the primary threat," Cooper answers.

Beth shakes her head. "But he didn't die instantly from the shot. He staggered back into the camp and collapsed at his girlfriend's feet. Then, BAM" she claps her hands, "Girlfriends gone too."

"So _maybe_," Cooper stresses, "this isn't about the man at all. Maybe I kill the man to get to the woman. To make her suffer." He stops and turns back to his two teammates. "To make her feel helpless. Insignificant."

Beth nods her head. "He views women as unimportant. Inferior."

"Then why not just kill women?" Prophet asks. "Why couples?"

"Because I need to _show_ women that they are helpless." Cooper stresses. "That their insignificant. I attack her boyfriend right in front of her and she can do nothing to save him." He nods to himself and starts to mutter, flipping open his phone.

Seconds later Penelope answers.

"_This is Penelope Garcia, your wonder woman for anything digital."_

"How far have you gotten on the bow?" Cooper asks.

A keyboard can be heard in the background.

"_I've managed to narrow the list down to about 25 hunters that have registered bows in your area. I can't get any lower than that. But, being the resourceful girl scout that I am I did find something buried deep down in the cold case files. Two years ago a couple was found dead in their campsite. One box of Samoas for the agent who guesses how."_

"Arrows." Cooper finishes.

"_You are the winner, my liege. Law enforcement couldn't find anyone or anything so they chalked it up to another cold case. But get this, I went back even further and it's happened twice before. Every two years since 2003."_

"And nobody opted to compare files?" Beth asks in shock.

"_Not until now."_

"Penelope, go back to the first killings. Search for—"

There is a sudden _crack_ in the distance.

It echoes throughout the valley.

Stopping conversations and turning heads.

Then there is another. And another. And another.

Cooper freezes.

He knows all too well what the sounds are.

Faintly he registers that Prophet has slowly turned in the direction of the sounds.

Beth has joined them in the silence.

"_Were those…gunshots?"_

"We'll get back to you Penelope." Cooper hangs up before she can answer and takes a step forward. He motions back to Prophet without looking. "Try Mick's cell, Prophet. Beth, call Gina."

Both agents do as their told, switching their phones to speaker.

They both ring…and ring…and ring.

Cooper can feel his heart rate thud more fiercely in his chest with each passing moment. Prophet's phone call rolls over to Mick's voicemail a beat before Beth's goes to Gina's.

"No answer," Beth says, the color slowly draining from her face.

"We need to go." Cooper nods, turning towards their black Expedition. "Now."

* * *

><p><strong>A\N:<strong> Well that series final was kind of a bummer huh? Whatever, CBS. I'm done with you. Anyways, that just means I can develope the characters further and not have to conflict with anything because seriously, what did we really know about these guys? Absolutely nothing. But I am done ranting\being mad...maybe...but not really...CBS will pay for this later...

As always, read, review and always ENJOY!


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